Trustees Approve Planning for New Student Center

Miami University’s Board of Trustees, on April 25, approved continued planning for a Bicentennial Student Center. The new building would fill a gap in on-campus space for social interaction - a need that students have identified in surveys and focus groups.

The approval does not include details of the plans nor financing, but initial ideas include a central location on Spring Street, a 600-seat theatre, large and small group meeting space, retail and dining areas, and more. The university hopes to break ground in 2009, the school's bicentennial year, and to raise at least half of the estimated $80 million construction cost via gifts.

"It is incredibly important that our curricular and co-curricular efforts are combined in a way that brings student success," said Miami President David Hodge. "This student center will fill a gap that allows those efforts to come together. This will be transformative."

Trustees passed a separate resolution to award architectural and engineering contracts for the design of the center at a budget not to exceed $8 million.

More information is available at the Bicentennial Student Center Web site, www.muohio.edu/bsc.